The final steps of choosing your immigration lawyer

Choosing an immigration lawyer is an important decision. You will be disclosing very personal information and you want to ensure you are working with someone that is both discreet as well as sympathetic to your situation. You are not looking for a bull that is going to cause problems at the USCIS, as these types of lawyers can only delay your case and prolong an already long process.

Being able to get in touch with your immigration attorney is essential. You don’t want to be passed to an underling that doesn’t know the particulars of your case or potentially make statements that are misleading. Having direct access will ensure clear communication between you and your immigration lawyer is flowing. Further, with the advent of the internet, there are many online technologies that will allow you to track the status of your case. Not all immigration lawyers have this service, as it is not required, but if you travel a lot or are outside the country most of your correspondence will be via email or working through their online services. The point is to find out what you need and decide what works best for you.

Finally, there will come a time where you will need to enter into an agreement with the immigration attorney you choose. This is standard and not something that should startle you. Contracts are made so that it is clear about the services that are to be provided and should remove questions about what is required of your immigration lawyer. Also remember that contracts can sometimes look scary. Do not let this upset or concern you. Contracts are meant to cover both parties in the case of the worse situation, so ensure that all of the services you require are listed, you establish the cost of these services, you establish if there are any other costs that may occur and how you or the immigration lawyer is able to terminate the contract. In short, get the Scope of Work and the Fees. Do what you can to not pay big fees upfront, you want your lawyer working for you… not making excuses as to why things are working out. A smaller upfront retainer, as high as 50 percent up front, ensures your immigration lawyer is incentivized to work for you.